A vote at the ballot box can help make millions of children healthier, better off, safer, and more secure, says the national advocacy organization Voices for America's Children. That's why Voices, our national affiliate, is asking bloggers across the country to share a "Vote Kids First" message today: spreading the word that all the adults headed into voting booths this week can also claim responsibility for those who are too young to cast a ballot. The video
link at the right will take you to the Voices site, where you can view a short video about some of the pressing issues children face and promise to vote for candidates who work to address the challenges kids face.
Speaking of that, my last post might have "buried the lead,” as they say in news-writing, about what you can do to make a difference on two critical issues Voices raises--the high rate of children at risk of hunger and the high rate of childhood obesity and overweight. Here again is what you can do:
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, passed by the Senate, would reauthorize several child nutrition programs and improve upon them, so that more children have access to healthy food. The bill is stalled in the House, however, because many Representatives were rightly dismayed that funding to pay for the bill was taken out of the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP, more commonly known as food stamps). Many anti-hunger advocates now are urging a compromise where the House passes the Senate's otherwise positive bill for children, and then both chambers act immediately through a different vehicle to reinstate SNAP funding. Feeding America is collecting organizational sign-ons for this strategy at this link. You can also contact your Representative in the House with a similar message
News and Reports Weekly Round-Up
Child and Maternal Health
10.29.10 Washington Compiles List of Chemicals Toxic to Children (ABC News)
10.28.10 Can a Child Eat Healthily on Food Stamps? (State of the Children blog)
10.26.10 Arteries of Obese Kids Aging Prematurely, Study Finds (HealthDay)
10.25.10 Stealth Health: Nudging Kids Toward A Better Diet (NPR)
More Health News...
Child Protection
10.27.10 1 in 5 Texas Foster Children on Psychotropics (News8Austin)
More Protection News...
Family Financial Security Headlines
10.27.10 The Texas Food Stamp Challenge (State of the Children blog)
10.22.10 Food Stamp Usage Soars Among Working Families (Huffington Post)
More Financial Security News...
Juvenile Justice Headlines
10.22.10 TYC Reduces Use of Anti-psychotic Drugs (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) More Juvenile Justice News…
Child Mental Wellbeing Headlines
10.26.10 Early Screening Improves Child Development (Reuters)
More Mental Health News...
